RONIN Page #27

SAM:

Let's work our way through the building.

I'll take one wing, you take the other.

Vincent and Sam split up, moving into separate WINGS of the

Chateau, and as they move off Sam speaks a word of warning.

SAM:

Watch your back, Vincent.

And then they're gone, and we're with -

Deirdre, who's running through the house, going from room to

room, and we're with her for a minute, the JAPANESE DRUM

starts to play again, and now it's joined by more and more

drums, and they continue for the test of this sequence and

suddenly - A HUGE BURST OF GUNFIRE is heard, dragging

Deirdre's attention towards -

THE BALLROOM -

And Sam's in the middle of a pitched battle with three

Gunmen. He kills the first, and then the second, and then -

No third. The Third Gunman rolls out of the way as Sam

fires, the Third Gunman fires back and - Their shots go wide,

ripping into mirrors and chandeliers, littering the floor

with glass. And now we're -

ON DEIRDRE -

Running through the halls as we hear one last burst of

gunfire:
somebody in the ballroom is dead. Deirdre has

almost reached the ballroom when - Sam comes flying out, and

the two of them CRASH TOGETHER, sending the two of them

sprawling into - The shot-up mess that used to be the

Ballroom - And as they crash to the ground, Sam loses his

weapon in the fall, but Deirdre manages to hold onto one of

her two guns. Now the two of them roll to their feet, and as

they do we're back in -

THE DINING ROOM -

Seamus the Madman is pacing the floor, his face even worse

than before:
with each minute the mask of flesh that is now

his face is becoming more grotesque. Little pustules have

started to form all over its surface, oozing a whitish

viscous liquid. A NEW BURST OF FIGHTING SOUNDS can be heard,

and Seamus, who is no longer capable of thinking straight,

loses it.

SEAMUS:

I can't take it anymore.

(to Mikhi)

Watch him, man, I'm going out and finish

what needs finishing!

And Seamus is gone, and so are we -- back to -

THE BALLROOM -

Where Deirdre has her two guns pointed at Sam and - Does nothing.

BEAT.

SAM:

Go on, them...

But Deirdre can't do it. There's something between these

two, and now - Sam looks around and sees Deirdre's other

pistol lying on a broken chair, and now he -

Kicks out with his foot and hits the chair leg, causing it to

function as a lever, sending the gun - THROUGH THE AIR in a

graceful SLOW-MO arc until it - THWACKS into Sam's Hand. Now

he's armed and he looks back at - Deirdre. Her FINGER

tightens on the trigger, she's almost ready to shoot -- if

Sam raises his piece, he's a dead man.

DEIRDRE:

Let it go, Sam, walk away.

In response Sam stares at Deirdre for a BEAT and then he

smiles an enigmatic smile and - He steps sideways, into a

nearby corridor, vanishing.

DEIRDRE:

God damn it!

She runs after him but she's too late -- The corridor outside

is empty. Now we're back in -

THE DINING ROOM -

With Gregor and Mikhi, and the tension is unbearable, because

they can hear the sounds of the fighting as it starts and

then stops, but they don't have the least idea of what's

going on. Still, Mikhi won't let Gregor leave without giving

up the Briefcase. Mikhi has a gun on Gregor, who in turn

holds the Briefcase close, ready to open it and set off the 5

Second Timer that will blow it up.

GREGOR:

(a feral hiss)

We'll die if we stay here!

MIKHI:

(threatening with the gun)

You'll die if you leave here.

Gregor sits back down, fairly close to Mikhi. Then, in a

manner so deft that Mikhi never even notices, Gregor extracts

a wickedly thin stiletto blade from the leather lining of the

Briefcase. Before Mikhi can even react, Gregor stabs his arm

forward in a savage arc - JAMMING THE BLADE into Mikhi's

throat. Mikhi drops his gun and reaches for the blade,

already gagging on the blood spray which shoots from the

slashed artery. Within seconds - Mikhi falls to the ground,

jerking viciously in his death throes as - Gregor picks up

the pistol and runs to leave the room, and as he does we move

to -

THE GALLERY -

Filled with Paintings and Sculptures, nothing less than 200

years old. This place is a maze, what with it's walls of

paintings that jut out here and there, the various corridors

which lead from room to room, and the sculptures which block

sight lines. Now we find - Vincent, pressed against a wall, a

gun in each hand, while - FIVE RUSSIAN MAFIA GUYS are hunting

him down. We do a SERIES OF QUICK CUTS as the Five Guys split

up and look for Vincent, all the while speaking in low Russian

voices. Suddenly one of the Guys turns a corner and sees -

Nothing. No Vincent. Now he turns back and - A FIST CRASHES

through a painting which hangs on a makeshift wall. It's

Vincent. His hand wraps around Mafia Guy's neck, pinning him

in place. Seconds later - Two quick shots rip through the

painting, hitting Mafia Guy in the head. Now - The other men

are alerted by the shots, they come running and - Vincent steps

out firing -

And now it's a bullet-fest, as he gets the drop on them,

using the maze of the Gallery to his fullest advantage,

gunning them down - First one - Then two - Three, and then -

No four. Vincent turns, surprised that his man wasn't where

he expected him to be when - A SHOT RINGS OUT, hitting

Vincent, a flesh wound that disarms him. The Last Guy has

the drop on Vincent. Now - The Last Guy smiles a nasty

little smile at Vincent and - A PISTOL spits fire and - A

BULLET bursts out of the Last Guy's chest. It's Sam. Now

Sam and Vincent exchange a look: Sam has, once again, saved

Vincent's life.

VINCENT:

You have to stop doing that!

SAM:

I'll work on it...

The two men don't have time for any more words, they move

from the Gallery and find themselves in -

THE DINING ROOM -

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